Improvement in propelling vessels



colina sont GEORGE A. MILANI, 0F

FRANKFURT, INDIANA.

Letters Patent No. 95,922datecl October 19, 1869.

IMPROVEMENT IIN PROPELLING- VESSELS.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the same To all whom it may concern.- f

Beit known that I, GEORGE A. MILANI, of Frankiolt, in the conntyof Clinton, and Slt-ate of Indiana, have invented a new and improved Device'for Pro peiling Vessels; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable others skilled in the art to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, forming part of this speciiication, in which- Figure l represents a vertical longitudinal section of a boat, .provided with my improved propelling-. device.

Figure 2 is a plan or top view ofthe same.

Figure 3 is avertical transverse section of the same.

Figure 4 is a detail face View of a spring, con-v nected with the driving-gear wheel.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

This invention relates to a new mechanism for propelling small boats, life and Hat-boats, and other small vessels; and consists in the general arrangement of machinery connected with an oscillating lever, that is worked by persons seated upon its ends.

The motion imparted to the lever bythe seesawing process, is transmitted to a pair of shafts, wlirh are geared together with the paddle-wheel sh Either oi' the driving-wheel shafts can be thrown ont of gear at will, to allow steering by means of paddles.

A spring-connection.is provided between each driving-shaft and its gearing, to produce greater-regularity of motion.

A, in the drawing, represents a small vessel, of snit able form and construction.

l'n about the middle of its sides are the hearings of a pair of paddle-wheel shafts, B l, which carry the paddlewheels C at their ends.

lhese shafts are made entirely separate from, but are in line with each other, as is clearly shown in iig. 8.

They need not reach far into the boat, no further than necessary to accommodatefpinions a c that are mounted upon them.

Under the shafts B are hung in the boat the two driving-shafts D D, which have their bearings in studs b, that project from the inside of the boat. as shown infig. 3.

The shafts D are also in line with and separated from each other, as shown. Y

' Each of them carries a ratchet-wheel, c, near its nner end.

A toothed wheel, E, is hung loose upon each shaft,

D, and meshes into the pinion a above it. Each toot/hed wheel E is connected with its shaft D by-means of a coiled spring, (l, as shown in iig. l, so that when the shaft is turned in the direction oi' the arrow 1 in iig. 1, the wheel will, by the same, he carried around in the same direction.

The spring will equalize the motion so that the boat will move with ease and regularity.

Instead of the coiled springs d, straight spring arins, e e, may be employed, as in iig. 4, for connect.- ing the shafts D with the wheels E.

The dat spring arms e will answer better for larger boats, as they will be stronger than the coiled spring.

On the upper end of 4a post, f, that projects from the bottom ofthe boat, is the fnlcrnm y oi' a lever, l, which lever extends longitudinally nearly to the ends of the boat.

To both sides of the fulcrum-pin g, are arranged np-and-down projecting arms, h, on the lever, which carry on each side of the lever a pairoi' pawls, tj.

Each pair of these pawls catches into the teeth of one of the ratchet-wheels, one pawl in front and one in rea'r of Jthe axle D, so that as the lever is swung on its pivot, the ratchet-wheels will be turned, whatever be the motion of the level'.

lhe teeth of both ratchet-wheels are in the same direction, and are of equal number, s0 that both shafts D will at once be turned with equal velocity.

Upon the ends of the lever I" arranged seats G.

A person is to be seated on each end of the lever, and by see-sawing the same, theshafts D, and, with them, the shafts B, will be turned.

H H are levers-pivoted to the studs l1, or otherwise, and extending toward the stern of the boat.

These levers H have upward projections, with crosslevers are lowered.

Each cross-bar K will, when raised, elevate one pair of pawls off its ratchetwheel, and vwill thereby throwone of the paddle-wheels out of gear while the other will remain in motion. The boat can thus be steered. l

The central plate, from which 'the dat .springs e radiate, may be notched to receive'pins projecting from the driving-wheels, for the purpose oi' preventing the over-straining of the springs, and for getting more direct action from the driving-shafts.

Having thus described my invention,

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination of a centrally-fulcruined lever, having a seat at each end, with two pairs of pawls and ratchet-wheels,arranged as described, to rotate arms, K, that are raised when the outer ends ofthe two aligned shafts, D D, simultaneously and with 4. The arrangement, near the bottom of the boat,

equal'velocity, set forth. of a lever, H, fulerumed and shaped as described; for

2. The arrangement, on a. boat, of two aligned the purpose of removing the pawls from the ratchets, shafts, D D7 rotating with equal velocity, spurfin the manner specified. Y wheels E E, pinions a a, and shafts B B, to propel GEORGE A. MILANI. the paddle-wheels O C, in the manner described.

'3. The arrangement, upon the paddle-driving shaft Vitnesses: D D of a, boat, of loose equalizing spring spur-wheels l J. B. PENCE, E E, for the purpose of giving a. uniform motion to J. H. PARIS.

-the paddlewheels. 

